BJP Alleges Constitutional Insult Over Kerala's Vande Mataram Omission
The omission of the national song 'Vande Mataram' from Kerala's official Independence Day function has triggered a political confrontation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government of disrespecting the Constitution and yielding to what it calls anti-national influences.
The BJP has declared it will challenge the state government's decision on multiple fronts. Party leaders described the exclusion as a direct insult to the Constitution and said the matter would be taken up both legally and politically. The party also warned that bureaucrats responsible for any instruction making the song optional would face strict action.
At a press conference, BJP leader Shone George said the omission was an intentional surrender to radical elements. In remarks directed at Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, George alleged that the chief minister had an "illicit relationship" with Jamaat-e-Islami and anti-India forces, both openly and covertly. These are strong accusations that have not been supported by any public evidence so far.
George said his party had expected the song to be played during the official ceremony. "The chief minister lacked basic courtesy to ensure its inclusion," he said. Referring to reports that the General Education Department had issued guidelines making Vande Mataram optional, he warned that any official who issued such an order would face consequences. "Today, at this very time, we are raising our national flag while singing Vande Mataram at 15,000 centres across Kerala," he added on Saturday.
The BJP leader also expressed concern about the message the exclusion would send to young people. "If it is not sung, it sends a bad message. A very bad message to an entire generation, to the next generation. It conveys a very wrong message to the new generation in Kerala," George said.
He further alleged that the state government was deliberately trying to communalise the song to appease the Indian Union Muslim League, which controls the education portfolio. Another BJP leader, P.K. Krishnadas, said the UDF government had ruined the spirit of Independence Day and insulted freedom fighters like V.D. Savarkar through a "silent ban" on the song.
Taking the protest online, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar posted on Facebook that the Kerala government's actions were unforgivable. "The Congress/IUML government in Kerala did not sing even a single line of Vande Mataram at the official state function. This makes one thing clear: It is not the CM and the Congress who are running Kerala," he wrote.
The Kerala government has not yet issued an official response to these allegations. The decision to exclude Vande Mataram from the state ceremony has renewed a longstanding debate over the song's place in public life. Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, played an important role in India's freedom struggle. While it is honoured across the country, its compulsory singing has, at times, been contested by certain groups. Those reasons, however, are not officially cited in this case.
